Good Medicine in Today's World

by Jon Mitzel

We all want the best for our kids. A good home. Good friends. Good school and sporting programs.

I realized a short time ago that my parents and family shared with me one of life’s greatest rewards. Fishing. Hunting. Camping. Time outdoors.

I grew up camping and fishing. When I was old enough to tag along with dad on a duck hunt and had to get up at 4 a.m. I enjoyed every minute of it. The funny thing is, I look back now and appreciate it even more. It’s a tradition. And we want to bring our kids up and watch them grow the same way.

This following bit of info was gathered on the web from The Child Mind Institute (www.childmind.org/article/why-kids-need-to-spend-time-in-nature/) Visit this link to get the full article. Following is a short piece on what it tells us.

“In the early 1980s, a Harvard University biologist named Edward O. Wilson proposed a theory called biophilia: That humans are instinctively drawn toward their natural surroundings. Many 21st Century parents, however, would question this theory, as they watch their kids express a clear preference for sitting on a couch in front of a screen over playing outside. The national panic about kids spending too much time indoors has become so extreme that the crisis has a name -- nature deficit disorder. So while screen time is the easier, more popular choice, it’s important to set aside time for outdoor play... for fun, stimulating activities you and your kids can do in nature.”

Maybe one of the better things you can do this season is gather your kids and maybe the neighbor kids and head outdoors and go fishing. They don’t have to place well in a fishing tournament or catch the largest fish to enjoy themselves. They will find their own enjoyment.

A large part of this is just getting them outdoors near water. Of course, catching a few fish always helps. That’s important to me. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t. That’s hunting and fishing. But, at least they’re outside. •